Fully juicy in its citrus character with the pleasantly sharp, biting edges of tart fruit and bitterness, Hop Ranch Imperial India Pale Ale traces its roots to Victory’s Ranch series, a unique and comprehensive study of hops in which Brewmasters experimented with different hop varieties to showcase a range of flavor profiles and celebrate the nuances and distinctions in the resulting series’ recipes.

Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by mattcrill:

Aroma: Many have used the term "fruit juicy" to describe the aroma and I'd be inclined to agree. But I also get a sparkling white grape juice aroma as well. Probably one of the most unique hop aromas I've ever experienced. The aromas are definitely in the "citrus spectrum" but unlike any other American hop I've experienced. Clean fermentation character. No esters or malt character. Can't get past the sparkling white grape juice aroma. Wonderful.

More User Reviews:

such a delicious big boy ipa, packed with a mosaic fruitiness and a simcoe oily property, not sure if those are the varietals used or not, but this beer exhibits very similar properties to both. very blonde beer, honey colored and clear with a nice white head. the nose is just dripping with fruity oily hops, and the grain base interferes little, despite the abv. the flavor too is a hop explosion, as fresh and as vibrant as any i can recall. notes of grapefruit, tangerine, cut lawn, and even green grape are all there for me, and the finish still comes on nice and bitter. the malt base never makes much contribution, as the body is light, appreciably dry, and leaving only a slight hop stickiness there after the swallow. fresh is the word that keeps coming to mind for me on this one. the alcohol can be felt but not at all tasted. i love this, even more that dirtwolf i think, one of the best east coast india pale ales ive had in some time.

Bottle best by 24 May 2014 at 42 degrees into standard pint glassAroma of citrus, closest to lemonHead average (4.5 cm), white, creamy with rocks, very slowly diminishing fading to a to 1 -2 mm layerLacing poor: partial rings with small to medium bubbles, stalactitesBody light yellow, hazyFlavor begins with a light lemony taste, slowly fading through sweetness to a light astringency. No alcohol, no diacetyl, no malt. No aftertaste is noted.Palate light to medium, watery, carbonation lively.

This is the last bottle from the case I bought in Jan, 2014, and somehow I’ve neglected to review it. IMHO this is a much better beer than Dirtwolf, certainly having more flavor and a less noticeable hop profile. This could easily be a session beer.

Aroma: Spectacular tangy citrus hops, with some tropical fruity notes even. Maybe a bit of dankness sets in as it warms, but this is quite a harbinger of great things.

Taste: Tropical hops explosion in a lush, drinkable, and well-balanced setting, especially for the ABV. Even the wife, upon tasting blindly, remarked at how light it seemed. Tastes as refreshing and light as a session IPA, but with a 9% ABV level, this one’s very deceptive and sneaky. Tangy, fruity, and absolutely delicious. Will buy again, yes.

Based on how fond I am of Victory's "Dirt Wolf" I thought I'd give their "Hop Ranch" a spin, particularly as it uses a hop I'm not familiar with - Azacca.

Azzaca is the Caribbean God of farming, so it's not surprising that there's a tropical fruit character in the aroma, namely mango and pineapple. There's also grapefruit, some tangerine, pine, a hint of lemon, and a bit of spiciness. It's interesting, and refreshing; and as a winter seasonal, it's a fairly welcome ray of sunshine beneath the cold grey sky here in Pennsylvania!

Given the quality of the hops I see why they went with a straightforward Pilsner malt as it allows the hops to come through clearly, and also allows for some of that refreshing character to be transferred into to the flavor. Unfortunately that's all you're getting, it's not a complicated or 'dense' beer, and I'm not sure that it needed to be an "Imperial" IPA. I think it would have worked just fine as a standard IPA, or even a pale ale. The gentlemen of Victory are shrewd marketers, however, and I'm sure they didn't want to drop another entry into those already over-stocked categories. On the up-side, the alcohol that comes along with the "Imperial" designation, clocking in at a whopping 9.0 % abv., is surprisingly well-cloaked. Not unlike the "Dirt Wolf" this is a beer that does not overwhelm you with bitterness, resins, and alcohol - instead it's very focused and balanced, leaving it remarkably drinkable, and at 9%, dangerous.

So how to rate this beer? It delivers everything that an "Imperial" IPA should, sans the bitter punch and late raspy/resinous finish, the alcohol slap, and the overall palate-wrecking voluminosity. There are no defects of any sort (although I would like to see just a little more bristle in the mouthfeel), and in fact it's a really well-rounded and highly polished beer. What's not to love? But on top of that it's also quite unique, and innovative. Clearly a winner, and one that really needs to be sampled, any fan of hoppy beers needs to check it out!

Phenomenal beer, an instant favorite. Gotta love the hints of citrus, so pleasing to the nostrils and palate. I bought 2 cases of this after trying it on tap at a local bar. Too bad it is seasonal, I want this year-round. I do happen to like it better than dirt wolf.

I'd call the color a straw gold. Some visible sediment and a cap of white froth.

Smells... green! Like plant matter of various types, from freshly cut grass to pine needle resin. A nice fruity aspect is there too. Lemon, lime, a bit of pineapple, and maybe even some pear and green apple! Those last two are fruit aromas I don't recall ever picking out of an IPA before this one... Fascinating.

A nice, nice explosion of fruitiness pops out on the palate right away, with citrus on steroids. And I just ride that juicy, delicious, tangy citrus for a good while into a seamless rise of piney astringency and citrus rind until it mellows out into a bittersweet finish of mellow honey and bread. WOWEE.

The feel is quite prickly and full. Just as lively as the flavor.

Some DIPAs blast bitterness upon beer-drinkers to the extent that bitterness becomes the very core of the flavor profile. While I adore such palate abusers, that is not this beer's approach, and it works wonders in its own way, heaping forth a menagerie of gymnosperm and angiosperm-derived brilliance.

This is probably the most "refreshing" DIPA I've ever had. The alcohol is extremely & dangerously well hidden. Very citrusey with an almost european/heffeweizen taste & feel. Very good beer.

That said, I don't know that I'd buy again. When I want "refreshing" I'm not reaching for a 10% ABV. And when I want a 10% ABV I'm looking for a big hop smack & bitterness and a variety of smells & flavors because I'm only drinking one or two of them. This one doesn't have that flavor punch, at least in the way so many other big IPA's do.

Apparently the hops used are kinda different, and it's noticable, and while it was certainly well crafted, maybe those aren't for me.

APPEARANCE: The head is a finger and a half thick and lasts for a good 30 seconds before it falls into a nice, cap. The cap tops off a murky, burnt orange beer beneath. Tiny bubbles rise from the sides of the glass while a few larger bubbles can be seen towards the middle through all the haziness.

SMELL: Wow, that is fresh! Orange, pine, mango and apricot dance around with a touch of grapefruit and grass. This smells amazing, just wish it had a little more intensity.

TASTE: There is tropical fruit everywhere on this and it’s really juicy. All the fruit from the smell is there, but the grapefruit seems to be more intense, and there’s a little lemon I didn’t get with my nose, providing a nice, bitter bite.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium body with a little stickiness and a very dull tickle. The balance is excellent with some sweeter, sticky, fruity notes to start followed by a drying bitterness.

OVERALL: I don’t know if this one is better than Dirt Wolf, but at the very least its close. I will reach for this again.

Appearance: A one finger head was poured that reduced to a small layer. It is a pale yellow color with a little haziness and vision of bubbles coming up through the glass. Spotty lacing down the glass as the beer was drank.

Pours into a standard pint a clear dull yellow with a tightly formed one finger white head,the pour was not real awe inspiring by any means.Tropical fruits in the nose along with a bit of sweet onion,very fresh and juicy smelling.Flavors of grapefruit and mango are just dripping,almost like drinking mixed fruit juice,in the finish I pick up some vidalia onion,not much of a malt presence but a decent amount of sugary sweetness.This is a big fruity,juicy hopped IPA here,way to easy to drink.